2: Gospel of Peter Flashcards
Significance of the figure of Peter in Early Christianity
Peter was an illiterate Galilean fisherman.
Part of Jesus’ “inner core” of followers (along with John and James).
Peter is arguably the most prominent of the apostles, and always first on the list.
He is the spokesperson of the Apostles
Prominent in earliest Christian community
Simon Magus and Acts of Peter
We only have 2 letters of Peter in the NT
Some scholars accept that Peter might have been the source of 1 Peter, but 2 Peter is the latest book to be included in the NT, and Peter is absolutely not the source of it.
Many “censored scriptures” insist that “this is written by so-and-so” (usually a prominent figure in history); they intend to deceive. Whereas, the canonical gospels do not have their author’s names - they’re pseudonymous. Thus, they are considered canonical, authentic, authoritative.
The naming of the gospel and apocalypse is a strategic move by the author to give the work a greater standing
Existence of the Gospel according To Peter
Its existence was known even before the archaeological discovery of a fragment in 1886. Through the Church History of Eusebius. Eusebius tells the story of a certain Serapion who: finds out one of his churched used a certain “Gospel of Peter”; reads it and forbids its use.
Our knowledge of many writings come from people who condemned them.
Gospel of Peter’s Similarities with the Canonical Gospels
- Jesus/ trial before Pilate (1)
- Crucifixion with two bandits
- Jesus is taken from the cross before the Sabbath and buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea
- A guard is posted at the tomb
- Jesus rises on the third day
Gospel of Peter’s Differences from the Canonical Gospels
- A bit harsher with the Jews (#1 none of the Jews washed his hands / #25)
- Possible heretical tendencies (#19)
- Embellishments of the stories found in the canonical gospels
- Narration of Jesus’ actual resurrection (not found in the canonical gospels)
Anti-Semitic Roots Amongst Christians
Christianity started out as a Jewish group that accepted that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah. This was obviously rejected by most other Jews, and Christians were “excommunicated” from the synagogue. The Jews Cursed the Heretics (birkat ha-minim). They cursed the Apostates (Jews who began to believe that Jesus was the Messiah) and the Nazarites (followers of Jesus of Nazareth).
This separation from Judaism had garve disadvantages for Christianity, because t had to attach itself somehow to Judaism (a tolerated religion because of “antiquity”) to be “recognized” in the Roman empire and escape persecution. So, Christianity claimed that they were now the “true” Israel while the non-Christian Jews rejected God’s plan. Thus began roots of anti-semitism amongst Christians…
Explain the Gospel of Peter’s anti-Jewish factors
[2] And then Herod the king orders the Lord to be taken away, having said to them, ‘What I ordered you to do, do.’
[17] And they fulfilled all things and completed the sins on their (the Jews) own head.
[25] Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, having come to know how much wrong they had done themselves,
Herod the King orders Jesus to be “taken away,” not Pontius Pilate. The Jews are blamed for “completing the sin.” Then the Jews recognize their wrongdoing and begin to beat themselves
The Gospel of Peter blames the Jews for killing Jesus (ordering his death) by using King herod instead of Pontius Pilate, and then tells that the Jews feel regret and guilt after. The Jews are reminded that it is their fault that Jesus was killed.
Peter contains an account of Pilate washing his hands
In Peter, the Romans are not responsible for Jesus’ death. The Jews are.
Peter is one of the most anti-Jewish fragments
Some scholars see a Gnostic fragment in the Gospel of Peter as taken from the “heretical” Gospel known as Serapion
Gospel of Peter’s heretical tendencies
Docetism (belief that Jesus only “seemed” to be human but was actually entirely divine)
Jesus “as having no pain.”
[10] And they brought two wrongdoers and crucified the Lord in the middle of them. But he was silent as having no pain.
Separationist Christology
Only the human Jesus dies, and divinity escapes into heaven when he is on the Cross.
[19] And the Lord screamed out, saying: ‘My power, O power, you have forsaken me.’ And having said this, he was taken up.
Embellishment of Original Stories
Apocalyptic Thought
a heightened desire and expectation among many Jews for a direct intervention of God in history to drive out the invaders and liberate Israel. Jesus will come and do away with all the immoral people and establish purity and peace
Explain Apocalyptic Thought
Apocalyptic Thought begins with the reality of oppression, especially the oppression of people who firmly believe that such an unfortunate state of affairs goes contrary to God’s ideal plan for them. Peace was founded on blood of others and fear of Rome’s order, but Jews accepted it. In Israel, Roman rule meant prosperity for the ruling elite (which collaborated with the Romans) but poverty and oppression for most of the populations. The oppression became really bad, so looking back to the past was not enough\This lead to “Apocalyptic Thought.” Throughout their history, when things were rough, the Jewish people looked back to the PAST, in particular, to the event of Exodus to draw hope for the present. However, beginning from the Babylonian exile and continuing to the different era when Israel was dominated by one superpower after another, Jews began to look to the future. If God’s reign would be definitively established here on earth, what kind of “world order” would we have? The answers were very different, detailed, creative.
Forms of Second Temple Jewish Apocalyptic Thinking:
- Dualistic: Since Jews were persecuted for being Jewish, many came to believe that these sufferings were caused by God’s cosmic enemies (the powers of evil). Divided into the forces of good and evil, and Jews are on the side of good (God).
- Pessimistic: Things can only get worse before they get better (a coping device).
- Convinced about Vindication: God was going to be ultimately triumphant. God would punish Israel’s enemies and make Israel glorious once gain. God will eventually vindicate Jews, just like he did in the time of Moses and the Maccabees.
- Imminent: God’s victory through a messiah was going to happen soon. Different people had different expectations.
Apocalyptic Thought and Messianism
In the apocalyptic thought of late second Temple Judaism, it was thought that God would establish God’s reign through a messianic figure. Such a figure in the gospels is often referred to as “Son of Man,” “Son of David,” or other expressions. There are many other figures from the time who claimed to be the Messiah. Jesus is the most famous, the only who is remembered today.
Ideas of Afterlife at this Time
Not all Jews at this time believed in heaven (example: Sadducees), so do not equate apocalyptic thought with heaven. Death was like a pause, waiting for God to establish His reign on Earth. The reign of God would be established here, on Earth, with the living and the dead. Heaven became dominant when Christians and Jews began believing that the Apocalypse would not come in the immediate future.
Early Christian Apocalyptic Thought
The earliest Christians (among them, Paul) were deeply apocalyptic. They believed that Jesus’ resurrection initiated a new age. This age was, in a sense, the “beginning of the end.” (The End Times: this present age will end with the return of Christ (the Parousia)). The Early Christians believed they were living in the end times They believed that Jesus’ Second Coming (the Parousia) would occur soon. Jesus would come and establish in a perfect way the reign of God. Since Jesus had not come yet, Christians spent their time preparing for his imminent return and coming of Christ. They should do their best to establish communities which would be harbingers or precursors of the reign of God. Paul’s missions were not easy and extremely time-consuming, they required a lot of effort; what drove him was Jesus’ return (look Jesus, look what I did).
The Kingdom of God Being Realized Here to Being “Up Above”
The imminent arrival of Jesus as preached by the historical Jesus himself, the apostles and first generation of Christians was not realized as expected.
By the 70s and 80s, many Christians began thinking that history would continue for an indefinite period of time. Over time, God’s kingdom was reinterpreted to mean “heaven” and the most important goal of each one was understood to be getting to heaven (the salvation of one’s soul). This is a shift from God’s kingdom being realized here and now to God’s kingdom being “up above.”
Hence, the afterlife came to have paramount importance. Heaven and hell became the dominant images for ultimate possibilities for humans. Purgatory was not yet well-developed at this time, heaven and hell were secure in Christian imagination, but purgatory does not emerge until medieval ages.
In Catholic theology, people began to speak of the 4 last things:
Judgement: before dying, you appear before God and Jesus and they make a judgement
Heaven and Hell
Purgatory
We can see this tendency already in the Apocalypse of Peter…
The Nature of the Apocalypse of Peter’s apocalyptic thought
The Apocalypse of Peter is one of our earliest detailed expressions and descriptions of an afterlife in the Christian imagination. At the time of Jesus, the Jews were not yet all agreed on the idea of an afterlife, and the Sadducees did not believe in afterlife at all. The historical Jesus seemed to believe in an afterlife (e.g. parable of Lazarus and the rich man).
The Apocalypse of Peter was found in a monk’s tomb in 1886 in Egypt and is also mentioned by early Christian authors by the late second century. It may have been written possibly 50 years after the revelation of John. The account begins with Jesus instructing the disciples who ask him when the end will come. Jesus describes the future (parousia / his return) in a way that gives the impression that he is giving the disciples a virtual “tour” of the places that await both the damned and the blesses.
